Email

Font Size

Historically, the term binge drinking referred to an extended period of heavy drinking over several days and was usually reserved for descriptions of alcoholic “benders.” The definition of binge drinking, also known as heavy episodic drinking, has changed over time and is a term now used to describe a pattern of excessive alcohol use in which the primary intention is to become intoxicated in a relatively brief period of time. Although there is no worldwide consensus on what constitutes a binge episode, the most generally agreed-on definition in the United States comes from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which describes this phenomenon as a level of blood [Page 474]alcohol concentration equal to or above 0.08% (0.08 gram of alcohol per 100 grams ...